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According to the WWF it is World Penguin Day! Galapagos Penguins are unfortunately endangered, which is not so sweet. BUT this fits into my blog because the fact that we have dedicated a day to these adorable little birds is SWEET.

From the WWF’s Facebook page

Penguins are so adorably awkward. The Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, CT (near my hometown Stamford, CT) had a penguin exhibit for quite some time. It was always my last stop because you know– save the best for last.

An interesting thing about penguins is that they are surprisingly diverse. There are penguins in the arctic, but there are also penguins near the nice warm equator. The Galapagos Penguins have adapted to live in a tropical climate. There are also African Penguins that live in my favorite place– South Africa. My family is South African and I remember being a child and visiting and being astounded that there were penguins. So yes, fun fact: penguins live in warm and freezing weather. What awesome little flightless birds.

So to help the Galapagos Penguins we need to stop the government from slashing the budget for environment conservation!

The WWF is urging people to write to their representatives to discourage budget cuts from such an important cause! Clicking that link will take you to the WWF page that has basically written a letter for you. You just have to put the address, your representative’s name, and your name! Penguins are adorable– help them out. It takes 5 minutes.

I’m thrilled to write this post. I complain about the circus all the time and recently the ASPCA was sued over what they said about animal cruelty in the circus (who the F sues the ASPCA?!). England has gotten it right though! They have made a move in Parliament to ban the use of wild animals in the circus starting in 2015. There was overwhelming support for this by the British public.

When one stops to think about it, the circus is horribly cruel. The tricks animals perform are for starters NOT fun for them and second of all they are often very painful for them for perform! Elephants aren’t meant to be stuck in a cage and dragged across the country. They are meant to be in the wild covered in dirt and mud…not face paint and idiotic props. The circus has angered me for a long time and I only went to one once. Never again. These poor poor animals are FINALLY being saved. Time for American to jump on the band wagon please!

Many people have probably already seen the movie Life of Pi. However, if you haven’t you should really go ASAP! This

movie portrayed a character who respected animals in a way that was reasonable, perfect, and much-needed.

The tiger, Richard Parker, didn’t unrealistically become best friends with the young boy and magically become a vegetarian. The tiger remained a tiger. The boy remained a boy. They co-existed the best they could as a tiger and a boy. The boy obviously put in great effort so he could join the tiger on the boat, instead of staying on his raft. He could have killed the tiger and had the boat and food to himself. However, he respected Richard Parker as a life. The boy wasn’t going to just kill him because he was an animal. I think the tiger’s very human name (Richard Parker) helped to emphasize this point.

This attitude needs to be carried by more people. Animals live on this planet too. They are lives too. We can’t just take from them and ignore them and act as though we are more entitled. This movie captured that attitude perfectly and in a way a lot of people can comprehend. I loved this movie for many reasons, but this was certainly a massive one.

Life of Pi has teamed up with the WWF to raise awareness for tiger conservation. Tigers are ripped apart and every inch of them is used in illegal trading. This movie carried many great deep messages, I’m not overlooking that. I just hope that this message in particular is picked up by many people around the world.

Also, just a side note: The visual effects in this film were FANTASTIC along with the life messages it carried. It was a seriously beautiful film on all levels.

With vigorous effort from the ASPCA, a bill is currently being passed around congress to end cruel puppy mills. Puppy mills are commercial dog breeding operations that produce a massive number of puppies each year. This sounds great because puppies are awesome and all, but these puppies are born into awful conditions. Puppy mills are often very crowded and the pups aren’t provided with the proper veterinary care, food, socialization, and love. These places value profit over the well being of these sweet animals.

PUPS is trying to solve the unfortunate loophole people have found in the previous act. By selling puppies online people are avoiding investigation from the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture). People who sell directly to pet stores or puppy brokers are subject to oversight by the USDA, but not those using the internet. Times have changed and so must the laws protecting animal rights.

My parents taught me about the cruelty of puppy mills when I was about 13 years old. I was looking online for a dog to convince my parents to adopt. I found a million of course. My parents told me I had to make sure it wasn’t from a puppy mill. When I asked why, they explained. I’m so glad to see this issue surfacing today. Poor puppies need love and attention and proper care! Take the pledge to help end puppy mills by avoiding stores who sell puppies!

The World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) has been working to get 1,000,000 signatures on a petition to present to the prime minister of Thailand, Yingluck Shinawatra, to ban the ivory trade. This accounts for the slaughter of up to 30,000 elephants per year. With supporters such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Prince William this movement has received a massive amount of attention.

Now, of course I signed this petition and practically shoved my laptop in the faces of my friends and made them sign it as well. The lives of elephants are more important than any bracelet, trinket, or ornament. No question about it. The petition has 587,831 signatures so far. There should be more! SIGN THE PETITION.